Business Case

Page Content

​​​​​Skilled Immigrant Talent​

Hiring Immigrants Makes Good Business Sen$e

Demographic changes impact all regions in Canada, including Simcoe County. As Baby Boomers exit the workforce in record numbers and birth rates continue to decline, meeting Canada's future labour force needs will be a challenge. Population growth will rely on immigrants to support Canada's current and future economic success. Future jobs will be dependent on skilled workers and skilled immigrant talent will be an important part of the solution.

Each year skilled immigrants arrive in Canada who are ready and able to contribute their education, skills, and work experience. Learning how to access skilled immigrant talent is Canada's best prospect for increasing the size and strength of the country's workforce.

Get the advantage

Employers who diversify their workforce are better able to:

Attract and retain top talent:

Be known as a diverse and globally-aware employer and attract skilled immigrant talent to alleviate skill and labour shortages

Better understand and respond to local customers, suppliers and competition:

As of 2016, 29.1 per cent of Ontario's population was foreign-born. The potential to expand your customer and client base is strong if your employees reflect the increasingly diverse population

Better problem solving: different people bring different attitudes and experiences to the workplace, providing deeper insight on issues, which challenges people to think outside the box

Better client insight: customers are becoming more diverse as markets continue to globalize. A diverse workforce is likely to have people who identify with the unique needs of clients, and are able to serve them better

Better employee relations: employees need to feel valued if they want to reach their full potential. Companies that embrace diversity tend to have lower absenteeism and turnover, and higher productivity

Access a World of Talent

Most newcomers arrive in Canada under the Economic Stream. Immigrants in this class arrive in Canada with the knowledge and understanding of:

One of Canada's national languages

High levels of educational attainment and on-the -job experience

Skills necessary to enter the labour force

To learn more about the requirements for economic class immigrants click here:
Stats Canada.

Compete

In the future, the competition to attract skilled workers will intensify. Many other countries aggressively recruit international workers by offering greater economic opportunities. As worldwide immigration increases, Canada must be prepared to compete globally for skilled talent. Ontario remains the top destination in Canada for immigrants; however, the number of economic class immigrants in Ontario has steadily declined from 98,435 in 2001 to 36,939 in 2011
(Source:Expanding Our Routes to Success​).

In Canada, other provinces are emerging as top destinations for skilled immigrants. Provincial/territorial employers are offering attractive wages and incentives to prospective immigrants and Ontario employers are losing valuable talent in the process. Ontario employers need to consider the importance of recruiting immigrant talent.

Hiring Immigrants Makes Good Business Sen$e​is a publication of the Simcoe Muskoka Workforce Development Board. It contains valuable information on attracting and recruiting immigrant talent. For more information call 705-725-1011.